Such notions have long been promoted by figures like sheriff Richard Mack, who leads the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. The Sheriffs of Washington are elected and are constitutional officers Like many so-called "constitutional" sheriffs, Bob Songer defiantly rules Washington State's rural Klickitat County like a personal fiefdom, deferring to no other governing . Not only did it land him on far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' show, but his stance also caught the attention of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a far-right, anti-government group that falsely claims a sheriff's powers exceed those of state and federal agency . Other Washington sheriffs and candidates have similar beliefs, even if they arent members of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association like Songer. In both of these cases the inaction of the sheriff was flagrant and the violations of law about which nothing was done were many. The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) is a political organization of local police officials in the United States who contend that federal and state government authorities are subordinate to the local authority of county sheriffs.Self-described constitutional sheriffs assert that they are the supreme legal authority with the power and duty to defy or disregard laws . All of them, including the sheriffs and militias, seemed to be associating with and friendly with each other, according to a person at the scene. Enter Your Email Address To Get Exclusive Updates Directly From Sheriff Mack! Anderson on Sheriffs, 44. The office of sheriff carries with it all its common law powers and duties except as modified by the constitution and statutes. June 25, 2022, at 10:10 a.m. InvestigateWest (invw.org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, more than 60 . In 2019, they awarded Songer the Washington State Constitutional Sheriff of the Year Award. "It's dangerous because it shows an extreme bias by the sheriffs of Washington state in favor of Second Amendment rights . People ask me all the time, Do you believe in enforcing the Constitution? Yes, absolutely. Because sheriffs have the power to detain people, they often play a role in immigration enforcement. I said, You know, if Im going to be elected sheriff, my primary job is to interpose when government is the bad guy, Songer said. Instead, hed rather educate the public about what he calls the far-right agenda and hope voters make the right decision. The Constitutional Sheriff is a judicial officer, that "shall be elected by the qualified voters of their respective counties for a term of four years and shall have such qualifications . These assertions are often accepted by lawmakers without challenge thus moving anti-government and racist ideas from the fringe to the policymaking mainstream. (by CSPOA on Dec 17, 2014) The New American reports: "Local media in Olympia, Washington, covered Gavin Seim's "We Will. A Minnesota case,In re Olson, 211 Minn. 114, 300 N.W. 398 (1941), states that the duty of a sheriff requires initiative on his part; that he must be reasonably alert with respect to possible violations of the law and is not entitled to wait until they come to his personal knowledge, but must follow up information received from any source. Sheriffs who refuse to enforce duly enacted state laws are violating their oaths, shirking their duties, trampling on the democratic process, and contravening the separation of powers. For one, the word sheriff doesnt appear in the U.S. Constitution. Richard Mack, founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, was a longtime board member of the Oath Keepers, and the constitutional sheriff idea has explicitly white supremacist roots. 225 (1916). (by CSPOA on Dec 17, 2014) The New American reports: Local media in Olympia, Washington, covered Gavin Seims We Will. In the execution of his office, he and his deputies: (1) Shall arrest and commit to prison all persons who break the peace, or attempt to break it, and all persons guilty of public offenses; (2) Shall defend the county against those who, by riot or otherwise, endanger the public peace or safety; (3) Shall execute the process and orders of the courts of justice or judicial officers, when delivered for that purpose, according to law; (4) Shall execute all warrants delivered for that purpose by other public officers, according to Bushmans network also syndicates the white nationalist radio show Political Cesspool, hosted by James Edwards and Keith Alexander, which has invited numerous guests from the white nationalist and neo-confederate movements. A far-right "Constitutional Sheriffs" group has partnered with a vicious antisemite on the Arise USA bus tour to find recruits and woo county sheriffs. More recently, Mack and the association have been focused on resisting COVID mandates and encouraging sheriffs to investigate unfounded conspiracies about the 2020 election. Of those who responded, several expressed their belief that their power was greater than federal or state authority, even if they sometimes found Mack extreme. The constitutional sheriff movement has its roots in the Posse Comitatus ("power of the county") movement of the 1970s and '80s. Hoping to quell their constituents' fears, the Washington State Sheriffs' Association put out a statement last week affirming their commitment to uphold the Constitution - specifically, the Second Amendment. Over three dozen sheriffs attended an event hosted by CSPOA and the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office in The Woodlands, Texas, from Feb. 26-27, 2021. Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese also rejected Macks ideology. Recent events have shown that local and federal politicians are eager to impose authoritarian measures in the name of "the common good." More sheriffs may become radicalized because of the number of constitutional sheriffs and antigovernment groups intent on evangelizing to sheriffs about constitutional sheriff and conspiracy theory ideologies, which are often related. Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese also rejected Macks ideology. Distinct from Sheriffs, the Militia are explicitly incorporated within the Constitution of the United States. He was a major funder of former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore's political career and other religious-right efforts. In order to improve and provide effective service and protection to all citizens of Washington, the 39 Sheriffs joined together in 1984 to form this Association. I said, You know, if Im going to be elected sheriff, my primary job is to interpose when government is the bad guy, Songer said. professionalism, leadership development, These entities do not have jurisdiction in Skagit county, Therefore, before they may enter Skagit county they must have a contract or an invitation from the sheriff. In 2019, they awarded Songer the Washington State Constitutional Sheriff of the Year Award. Wilson Criscione, born and raised in Spokane, writes for InvestigateWest. The Supreme Court sided with Mack and Printz on June 27, 1997, determining that the Constitution did not impel state officers to carry out federal duties without their consent. "As an elected sheriff and a constitutional sheriff, I believe it violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," he says, "and, more specifically, violates the Washington state . But legislators caved to Virginia Sheriffs Association assertions that the new oversight could not apply to sheriffs because sheriffs are elected constitutional officers.. Of those who responded, several expressed their belief that their power was greater than federal or state authority, even if they sometimes found Mack extreme. Constitutional sheriffs will continue to confuse personal and political beliefs with constitutionality, using their elected positions as law enforcement officers to pick and choose what laws they will enforce based upon these preferences. Washington state recently introduced bills for some of the strictest gun laws in the country but they have some very important opponents: the sheriffs. Wildlife. Illinois sheriffs who are refusing to enforce the state's new gun-control law are engaged in "political grandstanding" and are endangering the lives of residents, Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker's office said on Monday.. Last week, Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which prohibits the possession of semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 and paves the way for . I will follow the rule of law, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer said at the time, when I believe its constitutional.. Op. DENVER (AP) More than a dozen candidates campaigning to be top . That many sheriffs believe they have that power concerns people like Rupa Bhattacharyya, special litigation counsel for the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection within Georgetown University Law Center. The Center for Public Integrity reported five years ago that Mack had already trained more than 400 sheriffs in how to interpret the Constitution and how to resist authorities and laws that violate it. These numbers are almost certainly higher now and rising: Mack has continued to train, and both Montana and Texas this year approved official training events, led by Mack, to teach constitutional sheriff tenets to law enforcement personnel. While sheriffs have discretion they dont go after every person for jaywalking, for example their oath of office does not give them the authority to pass laws like legislatures or to decide their constitutionality like the courts. First elected in 2016, Williams is part of the growing "constitutional sheriff" movement, which claims that sheriffs have the power to override federal and state authority on matters from border . The protection of these rights come under the jurisdiction of the county Constitutional Sheriff. Thousands violate unconstitutional Washington state gun law. Courtesy Klickitat County Sheriff's Office. In Chelan County, Sheriff Brian Burnett said its kind of a fine line. Burnett, who is also the president of the Washington State Sheriffs Association, said hes attended speeches by Mack but that Burnett didnt agree with the total philosophy. Sheriffs, Burnett conceded, dont make laws and arent interpreters of the law. 1 goal is to protect and serve and enforce the laws of the state, Morrison said. I will follow the rule of law, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer said at the time, when I believe its constitutional.. In that case an order of the governor removing a sheriff for nonfeasance of office was affirmed by the court. That should concern you, Right-wing "constitutional sheriffs" on the ballot in WA. I think its a decision that communities have to make on their own, she said. the provisions of particular statutes; (5) Shall attend the sessions of the courts of record held within the county, and obey their lawful orders or directions; (6) Shall keep and preserve the peace in their respective counties, and quiet and suppress all affrays, riots, unlawful assemblies and insurrections, for which purpose, and for the service of process in civil or criminal cases, and in apprehending or securing any person for felony or breach of the peace, they may call to their aid such persons, or power of their county as they may deem necessary. . Plaintiffs claim the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act are racially discriminatory against non-Indigenous people. OPBs critical reporting and inspiring programs are made possible by the power of member support. The spread of the "constitutional sheriffs" movementwhich claims that local county sheriffs are the supreme law of the land, capable of overruling federal and state laws, as well as prohibiting federal and state agencies from enforcing themthroughout rural American sheriff's offices has often seemed like a quaint but localized problem: Sure, having set themselves up as laws unto . It was attended by the Proud Boys and anti-immigrant group AZ Patriots. The Washington Standard / January 17, 2023. In a May 2020 interview posted to YouTube, Mack described this view, saying: Let me make this real clear: The President of the United States cannot tell your sheriff what to do. Joe Harris, running for sheriff in Grant County, said in an interview that if there were a state or federal law that he didnt think was constitutional, then he would not enforce it. Michael Peroutka, a neo-Confederate, Christian Reconstructionist anti-LGBTQ activist who was the Constitution Party's presidential candidate in 2004. Duty to make complaint. King County recently made the sheriff an appointed position instead of an elected one. Mack told the Washington Post that about 300 of the nation's 3,000 sheriffs belong to the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. Beware the extremist, dangerous and unconstitutional constitutional sheriffs, Sign up for a weekly roundup of thought-provoking ideas and debates, 6 things people believe about politics that are totally wrong, Female bodybuilders, big and strong, are still no match for vile men, The Biden documents scandal is a test for the media and an opportunity. To be a unified voice addressing local, state, and The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association was founded in 2011 by Richard Mack, a former sheriff in Arizona who believes "the greatest threat we face, as a nation, is our own . and the United States, the mission of the Washington State That year, Mack shared their strategy with Fox News: We were actually strategizing to put all the women and children up front. They announced they would defy the new gun laws because, in their interpretation, they violated the U.S. Constitution. violations of the criminal law, which shall come to their Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer is a member of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a far-right, anti-government group that wrongly asserts a sheriffs power supersedes that of state and federal authority. When the sheriffs could not be persuaded that was that. Duly enacted laws are presumed to be constitutional. Since then, the so-called "constitutional sheriff" movement has grown in Washington. Elected sheriffs are accountable directly to the Constitution (United States and Washington state, in this case) and to the people. And here in Washington state, weve got some bad guys in government.. And with the Nov. 8, 2022, election just around the corner, candidates for sheriff in Washington are increasingly touting their constitutional sheriff credentials, with many believing that they have the ultimate authority to decide what is constitutional and to enforce the law accordingly. THIS SHALL NOT BE TOLERATED IN SKAGIT COUNTY, https://www.facebook.com/groups/398181945263311/, Elect Kevin Ewing For Constitutional Sheriff of Skagit County. (Klickitat County Sheriffs Office photo). The sheriffs protection starts when he tells the intruder, by the power vested in me by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Washington, you are noticed you will not be admitted into this county. Joe Harris, running for sheriff in Grant County, said in an interview that if there were a state or federal law that he didnt think was constitutional, then he would not enforce it. RCW 36.28.010 Some Sheriff's Candidates Run on Not Enforcing Certain Laws. Others who took this step were spurred on and recruited by antigovernment extremists who spent 2021 exploiting the pandemic for their own ideological purposes, most notably the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA). Of course, if the situation should arise in which a sheriff had committed a misdemeanor such as set out in RCW 36.28.140, or misconduct as set out in chapter 42.20 RCW, it would then become the duty of the county prosecuting attorney to prosecute the action in behalf of the county and the state, but this authority can be exercised only in respect to prior action or inaction of the sheriff and cannot be used prospectively to move the sheriff to any action. Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers is the current president of the Washington State Sheriffs Association. One constitutional sheriff in Nevada went viral in 2019 for comparing gun control to Nazi Germany. of need. As gun laws throughout the west have gradually . the chief law enforcement officers of their respective counties. Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association federal lawmakers on criminal justice issues. Elections are the best way to hold people accountable, she said. The Anti-Defamation League considers the organization an anti-government extremist group., Songer has been a prominent voice for Macks group after Mack celebrated his stance on Washingtons gun laws. Nowhere does there appear any specific mandate to the sheriff to investigate criminal charges. She says the name of the sheriff's group is designed . A campaign manager for Clark County sheriff candidate Rey Reynolds responded to InvestigateWests questions with a letter to the editor Reynolds wrote to a local paper in which he said, the sheriff is the ultimate law enforcement authority in a county. The campaign did not respond to follow-up questions aiming to clarify whether he believes sheriffs power supersedes state and federal officials. Many of them have equated government-enacted health guidelines regarding masks and vaccines with tyranny. Its virtually the same as the oath that every other government officer takes, said Bhattacharyya. The seeds for this type of dissent by some Eastern Washington sheriffs began last year with the passing of I-1639, which greatly restricted firearms rights in the state. About a dozen or more sheriffs, mostly in rural counties, refused to enforce the restrictions against the people, citing that the provisions violated both the federal and state . This . Bhattacharyya, too, has mixed feelings about appointed sheriffs. While sheriffs have discretion they dont go after every person for jaywalking, for example their oath of office does not give them the authority to pass laws like legislatures or to decide their constitutionality like the courts. This American is a constitutionalist, a patriot, a husband, father, grandfather, businessman, firefighter, and Constitutionalist sheriffs in charge: Constitutionalist sheriffs believe that the Constitution appoints sheriffs as the ultimate law enforcement authority, even above the federal government.The . A new national constitutional sheriffs group also emerged in 2021. within the Constitution of the State of Washington. The Sheriff Mack Show: Sheriff Richard Mack & Sam Bushman ft. Tina Peters, CSPOA Posse Intel 1-10-23: Sam & Jack Discuss Hard Times Coming, Survivalist Mindsets, CSPOA 01/03/23 Webinar - Sam Bushman, Jack Mullen, & State Director Kirk Launius, Sheriff Mack Webinar / Consultation Request. This movement picked up exponentially after the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018, along with the sheriffs involvement. Richard Mack, the founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and a former board member of the Oath Keepers, speaks at a 2020 event in Nevada alongside several sheriffs. The constitutional sheriff movement has its roots in the . In Washington, a sheriff can be removed through a recall process just like any other elected politician, but recall efforts are typically unsuccessful. To this day, the sheriffs in the survey are 83 per cent opposed to a national ban on assault weapons. 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